The Jewish Cemetery of Beirut has been there since 1828 and is still to this day a cemetery that most Lebanese don’t notice because it is always closed.
This cemetery behold now 3,184 tombstones of Lebanese Jews, where they used to live peacefully before the start of the Lebanese Civil War. There are only 28 Lebanese Jews left in this country, and they wouldn’t proudly declare or practice their religion in public due to the political situation in Lebanon.
Usually, while giving my Green Line Walking Tour, the attendees are shocked when I stop suddenly and tell them that we are at the door of the Jewish Cemetery of Beirut. They assume that there is no Lebanese citizen who happens to also be a Jew.
Then the fun part begins! I take them to a very narrow alleyway that leads to the back wall of the cemetery through which people can sneak inside. I always tell them to go on a Sunday early morning and to just jump out if they see the guard! Attendees usually just sneak a look by holding up to the wall and take a picture of the Jewish Cemetery of Beirut.
